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Island Hopping
Maui • Hali'imaile General Store
What’s the story? This elegant Upcountry roadhouse owned by Bev and Joe Gannon is located in the former plantation village of Hali‘imaile. A cookbook based on the restaurant’s menu is due out soon.
What’s on the menu? You gotta have the crab boboli (crab in a creamy sauce on pizza bread). Also highly recommended: sashimi Napolean, layering smoked salmon, ahi tartare, and sashimi on a crispy won ton skin; Asian pear and duck taco, reflecting Bev Gannon’s Texas background and Asian influences.
FYI: 900 Hali‘imaile Road; (808) 572-2666. Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; pupu menu: 2:30-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m. daily. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. Only Maui checks accepted.
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Big Island • Merriman's
What’s the story? The day we checked in, Peter Merriman was on Maui overseeing his newest endeavor, Bamboo Bistro, but general manager Tom Stoner was there to offer this definition of the restaurant’s approach: “casual fine dining with Hawai‘i regional overtones.” Merriman is famous for being among the first, and the most tenacious, at establishing ties with local food producers, fishermen, ranchers and others. Chef Sandy Barr, at the helm for 12 years, employs these quality ingredients in dishes that tend to be straightforward, simple and, in a word, perfect.
What’s on the menu? Start with the Maui onion soup or corn and shrimp fritters (in fact, any corn dish at Merriman’s is likely to be awesome, because of their closeness to growers). For lunch, the grilled sandwiches are exceptional. At dinner, fresh seafood preparations and the lamb and beef from nearby Kahua Ranch will wow you.
FYI: 65-1227 ‘Opelo Road; (808) 885-6822. Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner: 5:30-9 p.m. daily. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX. Only Big Island checks are accepted.
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| Kaua'i • A Pacific Cafe
What’s the story? Our readers love this place and have voted it their favorite Kaua‘i eatery time after time. This celebrated Neighbor Island restaurant is the baby of chef-owner Jean-Marie Josselin, though he’s busy with his O‘ahu eatery now. Josselin’s staff under chef Steven Nakata has an adept hand at delicate, colorful and fashionable fare.
What’s on the menu? Not to be missed are the appetizers: tiger-eye ahi sushi tempura with mustard cream sauce, kalua pork potstickers with Thai chili beurre blanc and the perennial favorite, salmon “firecracker” roll with sweet chili sauce.
FYI: 4-831 Kuhio Highway, Suite 220; (808) 822-0013. Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m. daily. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, DC, DS, JCB. Checks accepted.
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Neighbor Island hotel restaurant • Kona Beach Restaurant/Paddlers Restaurant
King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
What’s the story? With the only white sand beach in Kailua-Kona and a property rich in history, the Kona Beach Hotel is an Island favorite.
What’s on the menu? The Monday night Hawaiian buffet features local specialities such as chicken long rice, kalua pork, laulau, teriyaki, lomilomi salmon, poke and the like. Fridays and Saturdays, they feature a prime rib and seafood spread, the hottest ticket in town, with a salad bar, crab legs, special seafood creations, chicken and fish entrees, and a dessert bar. The Sunday champagne brunch buffet is a great way to indulge.
FYI: Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road; (808) 329-2911. Kona Beach Restaurant — Breakfast: 6-10:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; Brunch: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday; Dinner: 5:30-9 p.m. daily. Paddlers Restaurant — Breakfast: 6-10 a.m. Sunday; Lunch: 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DS, JCB. Checks accepted.
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O'ahu hotel restaurant • Neptune's Garden
Pacific Beach Hotel
What’s the story? HTH Corp., five of whose restaurants won ‘Ilima awards this year, expect more culinary success with the name of a new executive sous chef, Eric Leterc, formerly of Lana‘i’s Manele Bay Hotel (where he did the food for Bill Gates’ exclusive wedding bash). Leterc began his career in France and also worked at Alan Wong’s Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine Marketplace.
What’s on the menu? Leterc is shifting the menu over to what he’s styling “Hawaiian bistro style” cuisine in Neptune’s Garden, so there’ll be something new to try.
FYI: Pacific Beach Hotel, 2490 Kalakaua Avenue; 921-6112. Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m. daily. Reservations required. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. Checks accepted. $$$.
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